Economic Justice

In order to escape from a violent relationship, victims of domestic violence need economic security the availability of a steady and reliable source of income to sustain daily living and allow planning for the future. Achieving economic justice and security is dependent upon:

• Availability of social and economic supports (child support, child care, housing, transportation, public benefits)
• Opportunities to retain a job that pays a living wage (with benefits and opportunities for career advancement)
• Education and job training programs
• A means to increase any assets they may acquire (savings plan, retirement account, etc.).

Lack of resources is one of the most common barriers offered by domestic violence victims in response to why they stay in, or return to, abusive relationships. Abusive partners often sabotage victims efforts to become more financially self-sufficient by:

• Engaging in violence before key events such as tests or job interviews
• Threatening or harassing partners at work
• Preventing them from going to work or school
• Failing to provide promised child care or transportation
• Refusing to pay bills

Consequently, this form of power and control often exerted by batterers can interfere with victims education, job training and ability to retain stable employment.

PCADV supports the statewide network of domestic violence programs on issues related to economic justice by providing training and technical assistance on:

• Working with the welfare system
• Navigating the Victims Compensation Assistance Program
• Working with the child enforcement system
• Understanding generational poverty and the impact it has on life decisions that domestic violence victims may make

PCADV also addresses the broader social change concept of economic justice when creating a statewide policy agenda.

Specific Recommended Documents

• New Challenges for the Battered Womens Movement: Building Collaborations and Improving Public Policy for Poor Women by Susan Schechter, Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence, National Resource Center on Domestic ViolenceJanuary 1999
• Expanding Solutions for Domestic Violence and Poverty: What Battered Women with Abused Children Need from Their Advocates by Susan Schechter, Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence, National Resource Center on Domestic ViolenceJune 2000
• Strategies to Expand Battered Women´s Economic Opportunities by Amy Correia, National Resource Center on Domestic ViolenceJanuary 2000
• Housing and Battered Women by Amy Correia and Jen Rubin, VAWnet: The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against WomenNovember 2001
• Welfare and Domestic Violence Against Women: Lessons from Research by Eleanor Lyon, VAWnet: The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women August 2002